


Set Fire To The Rain

by reppinda5o3



Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assault, Dark, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Minor Character Death, Piercings, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 07:23:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18912259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reppinda5o3/pseuds/reppinda5o3
Summary: This is a CLACE story...Blaze had a dark past but she was a survivor. Along her path, she became a collector of the broken. She housed the homeless and saved those left behind. When a stranger comes into her life, fated to become her newest acquisition, how long will it take to figure out their connection? What'll happen when the two realize their lives are more entangled than they ever imagined?Cross Post from FanFiction.Net





	1. The Collector

**Author's Note:**

> There is a Spotify playlist for songs I was listening to when planning and writing the first couple chapters of this story. Go search for SFTTR or check it out here:
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/1235861650/playlist/28CJKLkyZatesn9NK8WMIK?si=B75DA8p5S6eg7GxrBbCdHA
> 
> There will be no update schedule for this story yet. I am just working on too many things and have too much going on with work and in my personal life.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Eventual Discussions of Sexual Assault, Graphic Violence and Drug Use. Read at Your Own Risk. If you or someone you know are a victim of sexual assault, please reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline by Calling 1-800-656-4673 24/7. If you or someone you know has an issue with substance abuse, please reach out to SAMHSA's National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357) 24/7
> 
> STORY SONG - SET FIRE TO THE RAIN BY ADELE

Blaze arrived at work much earlier than was necessary. She didn't have any appointments scheduled until 10:00 but she wanted to get some new designs down for her sample book. She grabbed her set of special colored pens from her office and sat down on the black leather couch. She picked up one of her thick books with the heavy paper and laminated pages and removed one, using a small board as her anchor. The visions came to her and she began to draw.

By the time Jordan got in at 9:00, she had finished 3 new designs available for customers to choose from if they wanted something quick. They had been scanned, printed and were proudly displayed in one of the many books that laid scattered on the wide, black wood and glass table. Most of the designs had a completed version of the design on someone's body right next to it so people could see the finished product.

Before Jordan even spoke, he walked over and flipped through the most recent pages, admiring the new additions to her collection. He knew she was amazing at free hand but not everyone wanted to wait to for that and people loved her original designs. She did have a lot of regulars though that worked with her to come up with full sleeves of full back or chest pieces that took many sessions and months to finish. The table was filled with more than 10 binders that contained hundreds of her beautiful sketches and water colors. He was probably the only person in her life, not that there were many, that really understood why she needed her alone time in the morning to 'sketch out her feelings'.

"These are amazing, as usual," he said, looking at her with equal parts awe and understanding.

"Thanks, Jordy. I was feeling kind of down today and just needed to get it out, ya know?"

Jordan realized what kind of a day it would be when he heard her scream at 3am and it was confirmed the second he heard her motorcycle rip out of the driveway at 5am. They'd only gotten home 3 hours earlier so he knew she hadn't gotten much sleep before the nightmares had started.

As he pulled up outside 'Pins & Needles' in his blue Camaro, he had wondered how bad it would be. When she raised her head, Jordan saw the look in her eyes. He knew that look. The one where she was hiding both just under the surface and yet so far away. She'd had that look in her eyes almost every morning since he could remember. He heard the screams each night from the room across the hall. Some nights were worse than others and based on how loud the screams got the previous night and how much more lost than normal she looked at the moment, he didn't have high hopes for her that day. It would be a rough one but she would pull through, she always did but Jordan wasn't sure if that was necessarily a good thing.

She was good at hiding her pain. To everyone that came across her, she was bright and shiny. She laughed and played around and no one was the wiser. But Jordan knew. He'd been around for just over 5 years and was the biggest part of her life. She'd taken him in when he had no place to go and given him a job. He was determined from that day forward to take care of her as long as she would have him.

Flashback

When Blaze found him, it was near the end of the Burnside Bridge in Downtown Portland. He was doing piercings for money at the Saturday Market as his only source of income and living in a tent that he moved often out of necessity.

Despite being homeless, Jordan had developed quite a fan base. He always made sure he was able to wash somehow and had a few friends around the market that would let him sterilize in their shops. People loved him for his cheap prices and good company. It worked out in his favor. He'd get big tips which would allow him to buy more supplies and then he might actually get to eat three meals a day, every day for the whole week. He'd survived this way for the past 2 1/2 years and he was damn good at survival.

Jordan was about ready to start on a tongue piercing when all of the sudden he looked up and noticed her immediately, with her hair the color of flames and her piercing green eyes that looked like shining emeralds. She wore black skinny jeans and a green tank top; her body covered in tattoos from neck to fingertips and her face covered in holes filled with metal. She was carrying a dark gray case in her small hands but stopped suddenly and sat down on the edge of Skidmore fountain, carefully setting the case on the ground before hopping up on the edge. He made sure not to look too long and turned his attention back to the work at hand.

Jordan could feel eyes on him but refused to give the small woman the satisfaction of knowing she was making him uncomfortable.He went on with his business and she continued to watch him as he pierced customer after customer. Every once in awhile, he would look up and find her still staring back at him with a contemplative expression on her face.

By the time 5:00 pm rolled around and Jordan was finishing up his last customer for the day, he was ready to pack up and retire to his tent. The little redhead had other ideas. She walked over to him and sat down in his chair.

"I'd like a piercing please."

"The Market is closed and I'm closing up shop for the day. You can come back tomorrow and I'll be here then."

"I'll pay you double if you stay open long enough to do this for me."

"Can't afford to pass that up. Where do you want it?"

"Where do you think it should go?" There weren't many places left to pierce on the woman's face that would look good on her

"Let's do your bridge," he said as he pulled out the alcohol swabs and began wiping down her nose. "This might hurt."

"Do I look like someone who can't take pain?"

"Good point," Jordan said, just before threading the needle through.

When he was done, the red-headed stranger looked in the mirror he handed her, admiring his work. He learned then that her name was Blaze and that she just opened up her own tattoo shop. She was looking for a professional piercer and that's why she'd been watching him all day. She'd heard about him previously from a few people around the market and had watched him a couple times in secret but this was the first time she'd made herself known. She offered Jordan the job immediately, no questions asked. Jordan decided with as much as Clary was offering to pay him, there was no way he could refuse. Maybe he could finally save up enough to get off the street.

After the first couple days he showed up for work, she began to notice he was wearing the same semi-dirty, tattered clothes. He smelled a little like sweat mixed with smoke and looked a little gaunt in the face. He wore shoes that were torn with soles that looked like they were about to give out. She noticed he always walked home at night and even though he didn't have to, he stayed until she closed up the shop. She'd offered to give him rides multiple times but he always refused. She wanted to approach him but didn't want to embarrass him or put him on the defensive. After a week of the same thing, she finally decided she wanted to help and if she was going to do that, she needed to say something.

"Jordan...where do you live?" He looked at her blankly and seemed to think about his words before responding.

"Everywhere and nowhere."

"What does that mean, Jordan?" He dropped his eyes to floor and kept them trained there. Blaze walked over to him and used her hand to lift his face up to look at her. "You never have to be ashamed with me, you hear me? Anything that's happened to you, it doesn't matter. What you've been through isn't who you are." He looked into her eyes, almost as if he was searching them for honesty. He sighed, looked back down at the floor and ran his hand through his semi long hair. He figured he may as well tell her. There were plenty of ways for her to find out so he may as well get the truth out there.

"I lived in a two-story, 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with my fiancée, Maia, up until about 3 1/2 years ago. I actually used to own my own shop, which was pretty successful and even had a few employees. That all changed the day I walked into my bedroom after coming home early and found Maia in bed with my best friend." He had a pained look on his face and Blaze wanted to comfort him but she knew there was more to the story. "Bat and I had known each other since we were kids. He was my business partner. We shared everything from the age of 6. Apparently, he thought it was okay to share my fiancée too. Come to find out, they were stealing money from me. They took thousands of dollars from me over the course of the 3 years that they'd been having the affair. Maia and I were together for about 3 1/2 so Maia obviously never loved me either. When I found them in my bed, I beat the shit out of Bat...I'm talking a 'I'm surprised he was still breathing' beating. I threw all Maia's shit in the front lawn and burned it. Maia took off after that, pretty much dragging Bat with her. I don't even know if they went to the hospital. It would've been smarter just to leave town. I was in a daze so I don't really remember anything that happened immediately afterward all that well but I do know they foreclosed on my house because Maia hadn't been paying the house payments or property tax. She was in charge of all the bills at the house since I spent a lot of time at the shop. We had an accountant at the shop but I found out later that Bat was sleeping with her too and she wasn't paying the bills and made sure Bat was siphoning funds off the top while making the books look like they were still coming out even. I was still getting the same amount of money deposited into my account but it was a joint account with Maia and I trusted her. Needless to say, the bank also took my business shortly after my house was foreclosed on.

Anyway, back to how I found out my partner and best friend was embezzling money from our business…When I was clearing all of the stuff from the shop so the bank could take possession of the building, I found the combination to Bat's safe in his desk. When I opened it, I found tons of documents showing where he was skimming off the top, making the business look less profitable than it was. There were records of altered deposit slips where I'd been given and filed one for a certain amount and the amount I was given was actually sometimes even half that much. There were documents showing transfers to another bank account in Bat and Maia's names. I called the police immediately and finally checked my own bank balance. I was horrified to find out I had less then $5,000 dollars to my name. They caught up to Bat and Maia after about 7 months. I had a guy who used to come into the shop all the time hook me up with his cousin, who was a lawyer and he agreed to work my case pro bono and he would get paid only in the case that I got my money back. We were able to get a rushed trial. They were both found guilty and are currently rotting in jail for 10 and 15 years respectively but unfortunately they'd spent through almost all the money they'd stolen, partying it up in Vegas in the time they'd been gone. I'm supposed to be getting paid restitution but it's hard to get money when someone has no money to give. The money I do get, goes to pay back the bank for the properties that I lost. So I've been homeless for the past 2 1/2 years. The money I did have, went to court fees and most of my friends were Maia's friends except Raphael and Camille, who I stayed with until they were hit by a drunk driver coming back from Camille's parents' house about 2 months after I began staying in their guest room. They were amazing people and didn't deserve to go out so young. So after their memorials, I started living in a tent, since I couldn't afford a place of my own and a motel, even a shitty one, became too expensive on what I was making at the shop I was working at. After awhile of showing up to work dirty, the customers started complaining and I was fired. Since then, I've found my own way to make it. I have friends around the Saturday Market that let me use their bathrooms to wash up and I've developed a good customer base. It's been working out fine." Jordan looked back up into her eyes, perhaps searching for disgust or pity, but he couldn't decipher the look the he saw there. "Look, I understand if you're having second thoughts about hiring me. I can just get my shit and go." He picked up his bag and started heading towards the door. Blaze stood up and turned toward him.

"Jordan, stop. I don't want you to go. This is probably gonna sound weird as hell but I have a 7 spare bedrooms in my house and I live alone. If you think you can stand to live with me, one of them has your name on it." She gave him a small smile. He was in a little bit of shock. She was offering him a place to stay?

"We met a week ago. You don't even know me. I could be a serial killer."

"If that were the case, I don't think you'd suggest that you were," she said, giggling. It was the most beautiful sound Jordan had heard in a long time and he began to wonder. A beautiful woman hired him in her shop and was inviting him into her home to live...there had to be a catch. Suddenly he became serious where he was all smiles a moment before.

"What's the catch?"

"Catch?" Blaze asked, staring at him curiously.

"Yeah, you know. No one does all this out of the kindness of their heart. So what's the catch?"

"Well, I'm pretty good at reading people and I think we both need to learn how to believe in someone other than ourselves again. Maybe we can help each other out with that," she smiled,"but if you're really looking for a catch, I guess it would be that you'll have to learn how to deal with the noise at night." He gave her an equally curious look to which she replied, "nightmares".

"And what is it that gives you nightmares, Blaze?"

"That, Jordy, is a story for another time."

"Jordy, huh?"

"Yep, from now on," she said, assuredly.

"No one's ever given me a nickname before. I like it."

"Me too, Jordy. Let's go home."

Right then, Jordan decided she was his Angel and he would never let anything hurt her again.

End Flashback

Blaze and Jordan got ready to open the shop together. They were used to having almost constant customers all day long and when they closed for their lunch hour around 1:00 pm, they'd often find a couple people waiting outside the door when they opened back up. Jordan never had a problem handling the volume of customers they got wanting piercings but with how long tattoos took, Blaze sometimes had to ask walk-ins to come back another day. When she finally did decide to hire another artist, she of course wouldn't settle for any less than the best. That was why they were extremely fortunate the day they met Magnum.

He walked in just as Blaze plugged in the sign showing that they were indeed open, carrying a box of Voodoo doughnuts and a tray with 4 coffees in his other hand. Magnum was a whole other story and for the most part was very quiet. He talked to Blaze but really only conversed with other people when he had to. He had an extremely hard life before he joined their little family and they all understood that it would probably never leave him.

Flashback

About a year ago, Jordan and Blaze were leaving a Cage The Elephant concert, Downtown and were heading to Jordan's car when they heard someone trying to get their attention. They walked towards the noise and realized it was a man crouching down by one of the cars.

"Hey, you," he said, pointing at Jordan. "I'll suck your dick for $20." Jordan stared at him blankly before looking back at Blaze. She walked closer to the man, noting that he was shaking and sweating profusely. Jordan's eyes followed her back to the man who had now stood up. He was a lot taller than it had originally seemed.

"What about you, beautiful? What can I do for you? $20 for whatever you want."

Blaze recognized an addict when she saw one and it was obvious he was going through withdrawal but she wasn't 100 percent positive from what. She guessed most likely heroin. His nose was running and he was holding his stomach while rocking back and forth.

"Look, I need the money okay? Whatever you want."

Jordan looked back at Blaze and he recognized and agreed that this guy, whoever he was, was going to be the newest member of their family. He'd known her long enough to get that when she decided she was going to do something, that's all there was to it and he followed her lead because she'd never failed him as long as he'd been with her.

The man was on the verge of collapsing but they were able to get him to the hospital without too much difficulty. Apparently he just needed to finish out his withdrawal and that's all that could be done. They were told he'd be released the next day so they came back at the predetermined time. They learned the man's name was Magnus but he went by Magnum and that he was a prostitute by profession.

He didn't seem to want to talk about the drugs but Blaze was good at making other people feel comfortable and soon Magnum was telling her all about how he became addicted to heroin. He didn't have any family and grew up on the street after he ran away from a foster home where he had been beaten and raped. He'd supported himself since he was 14 by turning tricks and doing tattoos. He was trying to save up money so he could go to college. He'd already been able to get his GED despite only making it to his freshman year of high school.

He'd been working on a tattoo for one of his regulars and the guy said he didn't have any money but he'd pay him another day. When the guy came back on the day he was supposed to pay, he still didn't have any money but he offered him some heroin as payment instead. Magnum was going to find someone to sell it to make back the money but decided to try it instead. He loved the high so much that he just kept doing it. That was over a year ago and now he was living on the street and had gone through his entire savings. He had to sell all his tools so he was no longer able to do tattoos either leaving him to turn tricks to support his habit and not much money for anything else.

Blaze being Blaze offered him a place to stay and a job on the condition that he went to meetings and cleaned himself up. He had to get a sponsor and submit to daily drug tests for the first 6 months he was with them.

The first time they brought him home, he was there for 3 days before he stole their MacBook Pro and PS4. He came back 12 days later suffering from withdrawal again and they took him back in. The second time there was an issue, Blaze caught him smoking heroin in the bathroom and freaked out. He left on his own that day saying he couldn't handle their rules, even though that wasn't her intention at all. He didn't come back for almost a month. The third time he came back, he was suffering from withdrawal again and Blaze left the shop to nurse him through it for a week. When he was back to himself, he swore he'd never do heroin again and this time, he stayed. He followed the plan Blaze set out and was able to get and stay off the heroin. He kept to himself mostly but the first thing he did with his initial paycheck was to try to give Blaze the money back for the things he stole. She was so overwhelmingly happy and proud of him that she told him to keep it and save it so he could make his dream to go back to school a reality. Magnum had been one of them since.

End Flashback

Their receptionist, Kaelie, walked in about 20 minutes before the shop was due to open. Blaze had to work hard to get Kaelie with them too but she never gave up and when she found someone who needed her, she went into protection mode. Kaelie was a bit of a hard sell but she was meant to be with them and so it was inevitable that she would end up that way.

Flashback

They came across her one night when they were out at a club. Magnum had stayed home since he was still struggling and alcohol could be a trigger for him but Blaze loved to dance and Jordan would never deny her despite making it his mission to keep all male attention away from her. They had a standing invitation to the VIP area since the owner of the club was a frequent visitor to the shop and when they went to go sit down, Jordan noticed a blonde woman by herself, passed out on one of the other couches.

They were able to wake her just long enough to find out her name, that she was alone and that she was obviously too fucked up to give them anymore information than that, so Jordan scooped her up and they took her home with them for the night, putting her in one of the spare bedrooms. When Kaelie woke in the afternoon, she had no idea where she was. She got up and walked downstairs into what she assumed was the kitchen, where she heard voices coming from. It was then that she properly met Blaze, Magnum and Jordan. Kaelie was a college student, about to graduate earning a degree in business administration with a minor in accounting. She'd been out the night before with her boyfriend who'd obviously got her totally drunk and just left her there for anything to happen to her. She had worked her way through college as an escort and had earned almost enough money to come out of college debt free but needed to find a job so she didn't have to continue that line of work after she graduated. Jordan could see from the look on Blaze's face that she wanted to offer her one but they didn't have any positions to fill.

4 months later, Kaelie was still hanging around, coming to the shop after class, helping book customers even though she wasn't getting paid because their receptionist had just left to have a baby and they hadn't had a chance to hire a new one. Graduation was coming up and she'd yet to find a job so Kaelie was still working for the escort service. Blaze had offered her the job on a permanent basis many times but Kaelie didn't want to take a job she got just by being friends with the owner. She wanted to find one on her own. Plus she still needed to keep her current job a little longer so she could finish up paying for classes.

One night, she got a call from an unknown number which she didn't normally answer just in case. It was a little late for any kind of solicitor to be calling her cell phone which gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tentatively answered anyway, stiffening.

"Blaze," the person on the other line rasped. Blaze immediately recognized the voice and let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"LeeLee? Are you okay? You sound sick." She started crying into the phone and Blaze knew that something was really wrong.

"Blaze, I need a ride to the hospital. I was with a client and he…he got really rough. I really need to go the hospital and calling an ambulance and drawing that much attention…He's kind of a big deal." Blaze was already grabbing the keys to her Shelby GT500 and running out of the door as soon as she heard the word hospital.

"Where are you?"

Kaelie gave her directions to the house she was outside of. When Blaze arrived, she found Kaelie passed out on the sidewalk with blood stained on the inside of her thighs. She'd recently been beat up really bad by another one of the men she was hired by. Blaze and Jordan had both asked her to quit multiple times since they'd met her but Kaelie kept refusing no matter how much they pleaded, always citing her need to pay off school. She needed to get out of that line of work more than she needed to worry about money in Blaze's opinion.

Blaze tried to wake her up but had some trouble. She was awake but not coherent enough to really do anything. She was finally able to get Kaelie to the car and drove as fast as she could to the hospital. Kaelie was checked in immediately and since she had no next of kin and Blaze brought her in, she was informed that Kaelie would be going into surgery because it looked like she had been brutally sexually assaulted. They had already performed a rape kit on her and now they needed to fix the internal and external injuries quickly before they caused permanent damage.

Jordan called Blaze as she was sitting in the waiting room on her third hour, hoping to hear some news on Kaelie. When he heard what happened or at least the little that Blaze knew, he and Magnum were immediately on their way. By hour 5, the doctor had still yet to appear and they were all getting very worried but it wasn't even more than 30 minutes later that he emerged and let them know she was in recovery and that the surgery went well. The doctor told them that she should be fine with some rest and rehabilitation.

When they were told she was waking up and were allowed to go back and visit, and Kaelie saw them, she right away reached her arms out for Blaze and embraced her. The tears started before they were even in each other's arms. Jordan joined the hug moments later, holding her tightly. When Kaelie realized Magnum wasn't part of their hug, she waved him over and despite his distaste for touching, pulled him in as well. That was the moment Blaze knew without a doubt that Kaelie belonged with them.

They spent as much time as they could with her at the hospital and when she was released 4 days later, all three of them insisted that she come to their house so they could make sure that she was taken care of. Kaelie objected at first; she didn't want them to have to be responsible for her. She also wondered how she was going to pay for anything including the last payment on her last semester. She felt like she had no choice but to continue being an escort and had nearly convinced herself that this was a one off situation that would never happen again.

When Blaze heard her even suggesting that going back was an option she knew she had to find a way to give her that money. She had more than enough and it sat untouched more than anything however she didn't want anyone to know about it. She didn't want fake people around her who just wanted her friendship for her money so it was her little secret.

She couldn't stand the thought of Kaelie going back to that life so she made her an offer she couldn't refuse. She presented a deal where she would provide her with the funds to pay her last tuition payment as an advance if she agreed to be their Financial Manager and Receptionist full time when she was feeling better. She also had to agree to move in with them permanently so they could keep an eye on her. When Kaelie heard the offer, this time, she took it without hesitation. She hadn't had a family since her mom died right before she started college and she would've given anything to have that feeling back again. They moved her things out of the building the escort service was operated out of and into their house the following weekend and Kaelie or Leelee, as Blaze liked to refer to her as, had been with them ever since.

End Flashback

"Morning! Sorry I wasn't here earlier but I spent an hour on the phone with our distributor this morning. Remember how he got our order screwed up and sent us about half the supply of gloves, tape, iodine and alcohol swabs that we'd normally get?" She continued without waiting for their answer. "Well, he was supposed to have it fixed and the rest of our shipment was supposed to be here yesterday. When it didn't arrive by closing, I got pissed and called him this morning. Turns out, his truck got held up and it won't be here for another 3 days. Since we're running low, I had to run over to that medical supply store out in Clackamas to grab as much as I thought we'd need for the next 3 days. I swear, people can't do anything right." She sighed, exasperated.

"Thanks for taking care of that, Leelee. I don't know what we did before you."

"Yeah yeah. We got work to do. Thank me later by cooking me food that doesn't come from a box," she said, throwing a glare at Jordan.

"Hey, I cook food that doesn't come in boxes. Just not at 11 at night when I'm tired as fuck. Cut me some slack."

"Just giving you shit, Jordy. Love ya," Kaelie said, blowing him a kiss and winking at him. Magnum snickered quietly from his chair.

The day at the shop went smoothly. They had a few regulars come in for ink, piercings or both. Most of their business was word of mouth or promotions they did for local clubs. They had new faces coming in everyday and made new loyal customers just as often. The fact that the shop stayed busy made the days pass by quickly.

It was a 9:59pm and they were all in the back, cleaning up and getting ready to close up shop for the night when they heard the bell above the door. Kaelie walked to the front to see who was walking in when the hours outside clearly stated they were only open until 10:00 pm.

"Excuse me, we're closed. You'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Are you an artist at this shop?"

Hearing their conversation, Blaze walked around the corner. "No, but I am."

"I need you to tattoo me. Now. I need to not be this person anymore. Please." She looked the stranger over. Dressed in a business suit, he was all clean and hard lines. The only things that were off about him were the number of times it looked like his fingers had been run through his hair and the devastated yet pleading look in his eyes. Blaze recognized that pain for what it was and acted in her usual fashion.

"You've come to the right place. Follow me."


	2. Atlas Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To All My Readers: Welcome to the second chapter of my story! If you're new to my stories, I hope you like. If you're a returning reader, thanks for coming back for more. It's much appreciated!
> 
> This one will not have chapter songs except the song I was really into while writing this chapter was Atlas Hands by Benjamin Francis Leftwich. Check it out or give my playlist a listen. Search for SFTTR on Spotify or look for it here:
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/1235861650/playlist/28CJKLkyZatesn9NK8WMIK?si=B75DA8p5S6eg7GxrBbCdHA
> 
> Again, there will be no update schedule for this story. I am just working on too many things and have too much going on with work and in my personal life.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Eventual Discussions of Sexual Assault, Graphic Violence and Drug Use. Read at Your Own Risk. If you or someone you know are a victim of sexual assault, please reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline by Calling 1-800-656-4673 24/7. If you or someone you know has an issue with substance abuse, please reach out to SAMHSA's National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357) 24/7
> 
> STORY SONG - SET FIRE TO THE RAIN BY ADELE

The stranger walked close behind her, sitting down in the chair she gestured to. Looking him over, he didn't seem like anyone Blaze would ever expect to see in a tattoo parlor but then again, looks could be deceiving and she supposed there really wasn't any specific type. It was just that she'd never had a client walk in dressed in a business suit before.

"So, you got a name?" The stranger stared blankly off into space, obviously unwilling to answer her. "I'll take that as a no then. That's alright. You don't have to have a name. Not right now anyway. Is there anything in particular you want inked on you? I don't sleep much anyway so I can hang out for a few more hours," she looked at him curiously.

"Just make sure my skin is covered. I don't want to be seen. Not like this," he said, eyes dead and emotionless. Blaze nodded and got her tools ready. Kaelie and Magnum had already left, knowing there wasn't much left for them to do but as usual, Jordan hung back.

"Jordy, you can get out of here. There's nothing for you to do and I don't want you up half the night when you don't have to be. You might as well head home and get some actual sleep for a change without me waking you up halfway through the night." Jordan looked at her, incredulously.

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself with some guy that you just met. He could be a serial killer," he argued.

"You could've been a serial killer as well as you so willingly pointed out to me, remember? But that didn't stop me from inviting you to come live with me like a week after we met," Blaze pointed out. She slipped her hand behind Jordan's neck and pulled his forehead down to hers so they were seeing each other eye to eye, something they often did. "Jordy, I know how to take care of myself. If worst comes to worst, you know I never leave the house without my 9mm but I have a feeling about him and I don't think he's the violent type." He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and held her in return for a moment before kissing her forehead and letting go.

"I don't like this but I know how stubborn your ass is." He gave her a knowing look to which she smiled, guiltily. "I'm just a phone call away. Hit me up if you need me."

Blaze followed him as Jordan trudged out the door. She locked it behind him and walked back over to the man where he was lying on the table, waiting for her.

"Is he your boyfriend?" the stranger asked.

"No, I don't do boyfriends," she said as she gestured for the man to remove his shirt. When he was lying back down and had rolled over on his stomach, she inspected the surface she'd be working with before opening her mouth again. "That little piece of information was free but if you want to know about me, you're gonna have to tell me about you. Quid pro quo from here on in, comrade." She set her needle to skin and got to work.

—

A couple hours later, she had a good outline done on his back. She hadn't been sure what he wanted but Blaze not only had a knack for the actual art itself, she also had a way of knowing exactly what someone needed whether it be in life or on skin. She had a vision for her newest client and she just hoped he would continue to come back long enough for her to see it through. It was a piece she was excited to work on and she sincerely hoped he liked the finished product. She cleaned and covered it up before putting away her supplies.

"Okay, we're done for tonight. It's 3am, I gotta be back here in like 6 hours and I haven't eaten anything since a little past one this afternoon. Plus, you look like you're about to pass out." The man really had almost passed out on the table in the last half hour and she knew it wasn't because she was hurting him. After years of seeing the signs, she could tell when someone was experiencing pain. Either he had an extremely high tolerance or he was just super exhausted because even if you had a decent tolerance to the needle, it was still pretty hard to sleep through it. By the look of him, she supposed it could've been he was just that traumatized as well. Leelee had looked similar when they first brought her home from the hospital. It took almost 6 months of intense therapy before she got her life back to near normalcy, however they were all there for her and having people in her corner had really seemed to help.

He still hadn't responded to her. Maybe he really was asleep. "Hey, we need to get the fuck out of here. I need food and sleep. I'm guessing you do too. Let's go." She picked up his shirt and tossed it at him. He stood and put it on, slowly buttoning it up. He turned to look at her and she saw his eyes were hollow. She hadn't seen eyes like that in a while, not like that. They reminded her of a 12 year old kid that she used to know; one that she'd rather forget and that scared the shit out of her.

"Here, for your services," he said, handing her a wad of cash. She realized she hadn't given him her usual rate for freehand work so she had no idea how the stranger could guess how much she would charge. When she looked down at the money in her hands, she nearly choked from her deep intake of breath. Yes, she had stayed after hours and had been going for a little over 5 straight but she wasn't expecting over two grand. As she raised her head, she realized the door had been unlocked and the man was already walking out. Blaze donned one of her many leather jackets and chased after him. There had to be a story there and she needed to know what it was. Even if it took some time, she was a patient woman and she had a feeling it would be worth the wait.

"Hey, this is too much."

"Consider the overpayment your tip for being so accommodating."

"I'd feel better if you let me take you to get something to eat," she said. He looked at her blankly. "Come on. You don't even have to talk. Just eat a meal with me. That's all." The man looked as if he was thinking it over for a moment before he nodded slightly. "Good. I know this great diner that's open all night. It's only about a 5 minute ride from here." Blaze walked over to her bike and pulled out the spare helmet from under her seat, holding it out to the stranger.

"Do you mind riding on my bike? I don't see a car around here so I'm guessing you didn't drive and I left my car at home this morning so it's either this or walk I guess. He stared at her for a moment before grabbing the helmet and getting on the back of her bike. He placed his arms around her waist, holding her close and Blaze felt a sudden burst of contentment wash over her. That's when she knew she was doing the right thing. This man needed her, he needed a family to love and watch out for him…and as it turned out, she had exactly that to offer him.

—

They got to the diner, ordered their food and sat in complete and utter silence. The man across from her was playing with his fork and she was trying to figure out ways to make him talk. It was like he could feel her eyes on him.

"Quit staring at me."

"Sorry. I'm just trying to figure you out. You remind me of someone I used to know and I…I just want to help."

"You're already helping. Covering my body, turning me into someone new? Believe me, that's doing more for me now than you could ever imagine," he said before going back to eating.

They finished the rest of their meal without speaking another word. When the check came and the man went to grab it, Blaze snatched it up with a smirk on her face and walked to the counter to cover the bill.

They walked out the door of the diner and made their way back to Blaze's bike. She handed him the helmet and asked, "Is there anywhere I can drop you?" He gave her that same blank look, as if he didn't know how to answer. She wasn't sure if he just didn't want to go home or he just had no home to go to so she did what she always did when she had a feeling about someone.

"Do you need a place to crash? I have a spare bedroom and it's yours if you want it."

"What if I turn out to be a serial killer?" he said with a small smirk. It was the first amusement she'd seen on his face since he walked into her shop hours earlier.

"You heard that, huh?" She smiled at him, a genuine smile. "I'll tell you pretty much the same thing I told Jordy the night he moved in. Serial killers don't usually out themselves to their victims. Plus, if you heard that, you also heard I carry a 9mm sooo best of luck to ya," she giggled. The man smirked back at her and she saw just a small flash of white teeth. It was beautiful and she hoped to see a full smile sometime soon.

"Oh I almost forgot, I should warn you about the noise. You may have heard that part too. You'll be at the end of the hall but your bedroom is still the closest to my room and Jordy's so hopefully it won't bother you too much."

"What kind of noise? Like sex? I thought you said you two weren't together," he asked, abruptly.

"No. It's nightmares." Some of the man's tension released but it was replaced by a look of slight anxiety. He stared into her eyes for a moment, searching for something, then he put on the helmet and climbed onto the back of the bike behind her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her stomach, and pasted his chest to her back. Before she could start the engine, he pulled closer so she could hear him.

"Jace. The name's Jace." She tried to turn around as much as possible so she could shake his hand.

"Blaze. Nice to meet you."

—

When they finally pulled up to the house, it was around 4:30am and Blaze was eager to try and get some sleep. She knew that her nightmares were bound to wake her up within a few hours anyway so the sooner she went to bed, the better off she'd be.

Jace looked up and noticed a light come on as they were pulling into the garage. "It looks like your buddy…Jordy? just woke up?"

Blaze immediately felt bad. She was so tired that she forgot to cut her engine a half block before home and walk it in. She'd forgotten that morning too and no one had said anything about it. Fuck, she disturbed their sleep enough with her noises in the night. She didn't need the loud sounds of her bike's motor waking them up too. Jace had rightly guessed that it was Jordy's light that had come on but only because he didn't know that Magnum and Leelee also lived with her. Jordy had most likely been half awake anyway, trying to make sure she made it home safe. She loved his protectiveness but sometimes she wished he would worry more about himself instead of always putting the family first, especially her.

Blaze unlocked the door and led Jace into the house, turning on the kitchen light on the way. She set her helmet down on the dining room table, motioning for him to do the same and took off her leather jacket, covering the back of a chair with it as she moved to the living room.

So, here's my house. You can check out the cool shit some other time but I have to be at P&N at 9:30am to open. I usually leave earlier but tomorrow, I'll wait if you want to come back to the shop and just hang out." She immediately thought how stupid that was. He probably had a ton of shit to do. Much more important shit than hanging around her shop all day. Fuck, he messed her up. She wasn't used to men like him. "Sorry, that was dumb. I'm sure you have a ton of important shit to do tomorrow. I can check my schedule and let you know when I have an open time slot or we could ju-"

"I can come in any time after seven." Blaze pulled her schedule up on the MacBook sitting on the desk in the corner and told him to come in whenever since her last appointment should be done by then. She put her computer to sleep and walked back over to him.

"Follow me. I'll show you where you'll be sleeping. The bedroom has an ensuite. Almost every room does but there's also2 extra bathrooms on this floor. Whoever built this house had a strange idea of how they should be designed. Whenever you want to leave tomorrow is fine. You don't have to be out at any specific time. I know we're having kind of a late night so if you don't have anything to do super early, feel free to sleep in. No one will be around to bother you. Just lock the door when you leave. Spare key is in the drawer by the garage door and you can just return it when you come back to the shop," she explained while leading him up the stairs. Jace looked at her dumbfounded. This woman didn't know a thing about him and she was basically giving him permission to just hang out at her house with nobody there. He didn't know one single person who would do anything like that.

"You'd just leave a perfect stranger here…in your house. Your very nice house…with no supervision?"

"You're not a stranger anymore, remember? I'm Blaze and you're Jace. Welcome to my home, please don't steal my stuff, let me show you to your room," she enunciated, as she continued down the hall. Jace held back the small chuckle that tried to escape. It was the first time he'd found anything worth laughing at in a while. He wanted to remain stoic though. She seemed like a nice person but he wasn't ready for that yet. To trust again. To allow himself a real friend. He wasn't ready to give that to anyone; not to show anyone his happiness, his sadness…his joy or his sorrow…he wasn't prepared to bare his soul. The funny thing was that he had a feeling that one certain woman saw it, she saw him, whether he was ready for her to or not.

She opened the door to the bedroom at the end of the hall and Jace walked in. The room had hardwood floors with a black rug on the floor and white walls. It housed a king sized bed with a black headboard, black dresser and nightstand set and black leather bench at the foot of the bed. Jace walked to the door that he assumed belonged to the bathroom and saw a shower that looked big enough for 3 people with a rain shower system and double sinks. It was sterile and it reminded him a lot of home. That was unfortunate considering the whole reason he was there was to get away from that awful place filled with even worse memories.

He turned around to go back to the bedroom and that's when he saw it, the thing that made this room nothing like home. On the wall behind the bed was a painting of a girl walking down a city street. The painting was in black and white of course but the one hint of color was the umbrella the girl was carrying. It was bright red, the color of blood and it was dripping, just like the rain. It was easy to tell it was still a work in progress but it was still stunning.

"We all have them in our rooms," Blaze interrupted, noticing him staring at her painting. "I'm sure you can tell this one isn't done yet but I only have one more room to go once I've finished here." Jace pulled his eyes away from the artwork on the wall long enough to spare Blaze a glance.

"It's beautiful. Is your work in a gallery or for sale somewhere?" Blaze gave him a tight smile.

"Remember Jace, quid pro quo. See you in the morning," she said with a wink before exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.

Jace couldn't help the grin on his face as he quickly undressed and slipped into bed.

—

As Blaze was about to open her bedroom door, Jordan appeared behind her and pushed her inside and closed it behind him.

"You brought him home with you?"

"Yes, Jordy. As you are well aware of, considering your light has been on since we pulled up." Jordan pulled her to his chest, holding her tight before grabbing the back of her neck and placing his forehead on hers.

"I'm just glad you're okay. I was worried." She gave him a scathing look. "Hey, hey, I know you can take care of yourself but I wasn't sure about this guy like I was about Magnum or Kaelie. I didn't spend hours with him. All I know is that he seemed a bit crazed when he came in. I do trust your judgement though. Always have and always will. If you think he's one of us, then he'll be one of us." Blaze pulled away just long enough to kiss his cheek.

"Thanks, Jordy. I have that feeling again. Like I did about each of you. Yeah, it was hard with Magnum at first and the whole thing with Leelee took a lot of work but they belong here. I feel like Jace does too."

"That's his name? Jace?"

"Yeah. I feel like it might take awhile with him too but I know there's a story there and I think he is supposed to be here…I don't know, I have to at least try to figure out whether what I'm feeling is right." He pulled her head to his chest and slowly rocked her back and forth.

"I know, love. I know."

They stood like that for a few more minutes before Jordan headed back to his room and let Blaze get the small amount of sleep he knew would be coming her way.

As she stripped down to her camisole and boy shorts, she wandered into her bathroom to clean the makeup off of her face and brush her teeth. Once she was completely done with her nightly routine, she climbed into bed and set her alarm, which was a gag gift from Magnum last Christmas. All of her little family knew she didn't need an alarm to wake up but she set it as a fail safe in case the unthinkable happened and she miraculously got a full night's rest.

Her thoughts drifted to Jace and what could potentially be causing him to be so lost that he wanted to change who he was. Life was messed up, yes and she of all people understood wanting to run away and start over but Jace seemed like someone who had it together. Once again, she reminded herself that looks could be deceiving and then pulled the covers up to her neck. She yawned once and then allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

—

Jace woke up to loud screams and for a moment couldn't remember where he was. When he really came to and realized he'd gone home with Blaze, he jumped out of bed, threw on his shirt and ran out into the hallway. He stood outside her door and knocked while yelling for her before just trying to open it. They were making so much noise between the two of them that he didn't realize that all the other residents of the house were standing outside of their doors as well.

"It's no use. You won't be able to wake her. Her door is locked and even if you broke the fucking thing down, she wouldn't wake up, not until it was over." Jace looked down at his feet, feeling powerless. He'd run out of the room and was trying to get into her room for something he couldn't do anything about which had been witnessed by everybody. This was exactly what he didn't want. There were cracks and he needed to seal that shit up.

Jordan clapped Jace on the shoulder which he wasn't a fan of however it was promptly removed once he discovered that the touch was unwelcome. "Don't worry. She'll be done soon. I suggest you go back to sleep though. She doesn't like anyone to see her after her nightmares. I guess you could say it makes her feel…vulnerable." Jace lifted his head at that and Jordan looked him straight in the eye. "She does so much for us, it's the least we can give her so please, goodnight…Jace." Jordan waited for Jace to head back to his room and close the door before he shut his own. Jace heard the other two shut as well and realized that he hadn't really even noticed that anyone else had been in the hallway.

It was only about 5 or 6 minutes later when the screaming and crying stopped and maybe 10 minutes after that when he heard a door open and close. He knew it had to be Blaze and wanted to go after her even though he knew he shouldn't. It scared him that he wanted to be there for her even though he just met her. His grandmother had always told him to trust his gut about the people he met. Unfortunately, he hadn't listened in the past and that's how he ended up here in the first place but his gut was telling him only good things about Blaze. Maybe if he could work on opening his heart just a little, he might be able to follow his grandmother's advice. He told himself he'd work on it and drifted back to sleep.


End file.
